THERE are few moments in life when you know you have made a real difference.

But for one Pembroke Dock policeman, that moment came last week when he met the 20-year-old cancer sufferer whose life he saved.

In 2000, Mark Williams gave Craig Rankine the ultimate gift - a bone marrow transplant - and five years on he is finally on the road to recovery and, more importantly, in remission.

The two men met for the first time at the launch of a new educational programme, which will teach children the importance of bone marrow donors and blood donation.

At Mount Airey School in Haverfordwest, the pair joked and chatted as if they had known each other for years.

But Mark admitted: "It was very surreal. It is like meeting up with a pen pal. All of a sudden they are standing in front of you and you realise that some small act on your part has changed their quality of life."

Mark and Craig are shining examples of the life-changing possibilities that can be achieved by giving blood.

Falklands War veteran, Simon Weston, who himself received more than 300 units of blood during his recovery, witnessed the extraordinary meeting.

He said: "Now Craig can plan so much more for the future, where before his life was on hold. It just doesn't get any better than this."

Craig was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when he was just two-and-a half and despite desperate attempts by his family to find a match it was left to a stranger from Pembrokeshire to offer hope.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Mark," said Craig. "Five minutes of someone else's life has given much more of a life to me."